Often “Pol. Talerzyki za gałgany” - Plates for rags (vide). Ironic expression in the ghetto parlance referring to the mutual exchange of services with an undertone of corruption, widely practiced among ghetto officials, in particular among influential people who can provide such services. This includes the following: exemption from required formalities or simplifying the procedure when settling various matters; the best and quickest solution for a case if it is within the person’s competence, sometimes even if it exceeds it; authorized or unauthorized interventions with superiors; tolerating or covering up minor or major abuses; etc. A characteristic feature of these services, aside from obliging the receiver to reciprocate, is that they do not take place at the expense of the provider, but at the expense of other parties or the public good.

Jerachmil Bryman